Barcelona pride itself on being "more than a club" and today it hosts more than a game. Jose Mourinho's back in town, sending the mercury hurtling towards the heavens, swaggering around with two bodyguards and promising to destroy the Catalans' "obsession" with reaching a final at the home of their reviled rivals, Real Madrid. Not since Oliver Reed dived into the lobster tank at a famous fish restaurant here has a visitor created so many waves.

More than a game. If Mourinho proves more than a match for Pep Guardiola, stifling Lionel Messi again and protecting Inter's first-leg advantage, than the perception of La Liga and the Premier League as the dominant leagues in Europe will be shredded. Serie A is back.

More than a game. If Inter's collection of they-shalt-not-pass defenders and canny counter-attackers progress, as they could, then the purists will see it as a triumph of the forces of darkness over the elegant ambassadors of the age of enlightenment. But football's about ugly men like Inter's Walter Samuel, a knave among defenders, as well as Messi, a crown prince among attackers. It's about game plans, and few concoct tactical designs better than Mourinho.

It says much for Mourinho's box-office appeal that even his news conferences are standing room only. The media auditorium at the Nou Camp yesterday evening was heaving. Even Mourinho, wearing a pair of the most space-age Porsche Design running shoes imaginable, first had to perch among the photographers while waiting impatiently for Thiago Motta to stop speaking.

Mourinho kept tapping the leg of an Inter official, getting him to make the Brazilian midfielder wind it up. And then Mourinho took centre stage, sending cameras into motor-drive, and started lobbing his polished hand-grenades about.

He insisted that his cold-eyed bodyguards, who made the SAS look like British boy band Take That, were not really for him, although "Inter fans might need them" today. Judging by the vitriolic reaction awarded him as he left the Nou Camp later, Mourinho should not expect the warmest of receptions at his old home.

Particularly when the natives have digested Mourinho's words leaping out of the Catalan press this morning. Mourinho essentially declared that Inter had the "purer" motives in seeking to reach the final as Barcelona were simply determined to flaunt themselves in Real Madrid's front-yard.

"We want to follow a dream," Mourinho said. "But it's one thing to follow a dream and another to follow an obsession. For Barcelona it's an obsession. Our dream is more pure than obsession. A dream is about pride.

"Our players will be proud to reach the final in Madrid. For Barcelona, they reach the dream by winning [the European Cup] in London, Paris and Rome. Now it is an obsession called Madrid and Santiago Bernabeu.

"It's an obsession you can see and feel. I was here in 1997 and I lived a Spanish Cup final at the Bernabeu between Real Betis and Barca. It seemed like we won the World Cup. To have a Catalan flag in the Bernabeu is an obsession. It's anti-Madridismo."

Formerly a translator and assistant here, Mourinho had some kind words for people who shaped his past here but never a respectful nod to the celebrated sporting institution itself. A cynic would suggest that Mourinho was ensuring he kept onside the impassioned followers of Real Madrid, who will have a vacancy for coach this summer. Just a thought.

In classic Special One fashion, he then managed to present himself as the saviour of Inter while mentioning his past achievements. So what would reaching the final mean? "The only thing it means is to meet the Inter dream," replied Mourinho. "I cannot say it's my personal dream because I won the Champions League before." Really?

"Of course I want to win again and again but I won it and this Inter generation never did it. It's nearly 40 years since Inter last played the Champions final [1972] and it's a dream for everybody. So if I can give my contribution to help the Inter fans, the players and president Massimo Moratti to reach a dream, to help Mr. Moratti live some of the old times his father had, I will be very, very happy." Angelo Moratti was owner of Inter when they won their European Cups of 1964 and 1965.

"We've come a long way in Europe," he said.

"We had a difficult group with the European champions. We had Chelsea, who were one of the contenders, and an angry candidate because of the way they were dumped out in the semis last season. We had CSKA a good team."

Now Inter have Barcelona. And Mourinho has more than a stage.